The suspended left fielder allegedly went to some of the biggest stars in the game, including 2011 MVP runner-up Matt Kemp, to discredit Dino Laurenzi Jr. by saying he was told Laurenzi was an anti-Semite. Braun is Jewish.

There is no evidence that Laurenzi is biased at all, let alone so biased that he would risk his job to tamper with Braun's sample.

Braun last month was suspended for 65 games for evidence of performance-enhancing drug use uncovered in Major League Baseball's investigation of the notorious Biogenesis clinic. Braun had vehemently denied using PEDs.

Braun accepted the suspension without appeal, saying only that he had made "mistakes."

I'm not sure what's worse: using PEDs or lying about it to cover up.

Braun's image is so damaged that it's hard for me to believe anything he says. He lied to fans. He lied to teammates. He lied to Brewers management. He even lied to his friend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Even if Braun makes a public apology in the next day or so, how can we know if the apology is sincere?

Elana Kahn-Oren, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, said when people make discrimination allegations publicly, they should have proof.

Neither Braun nor his attorney have asked the Jewish Federation to investigate his reported allegations. The Anti-Defamation League is not investigating his alleged claims at this time, either, Kahn-Oren said.

Prejudice tends not to be overt and open for all to see, so it's rare that a person has proof. It would be rare in 2013 to see a sign outside of an establishment saying: "No Blacks Allowed" or "Whites Only Drinking Fountain."

Overt prejudice is easy to prove; implied prejudice is not. I relate implied racism to the suspicious looks some black kids get from security guards when they go into a store. Or the assumptions or overgeneralizations people make about a race of people. In the George Zimmerman case, for instance, a number of African-Americans felt that Trayvon Martin was the victim of implied racism — targeted by Zimmerman because of the color of his skin.

The jury did not see it that way.

Kahn-Oren said when she heard Braun's allegations against Laurenzi, she was caught off guard. "I was disappointed that his being Jewish had become such a focus of this big scandal," she said.

The Milwaukee Jewish Federation receives about 25 calls of anti-Semitic incidents a year. The incidents are investigated. Phone calls are made, with the goal of figuring out if the incident was indeed anti-Semitic.

Once the incident is vetted, it may go before a federation committee to be vetted more. "We want to make sure," she said. "We like to be careful because someone's reputation is on the line."

If Braun's accusations are false, his apology list needs to expand.

One of the worst things a person can do is accuse someone of being a racist when he or she is not. I know, because many of the topics I tackle often deal with race and I have been labeled a "race-baiter."

I discuss race in my blogs and columns because I want to provide a forum for understanding.

Braun's reported allegations should be investigated, and if he lied about Laurenzi, MLB should tack on more games to his suspension.